Kirkus (Starred Review)

Hints of time travel haunt this historical and philosophical novel set in early-20th-century Boston and Europe.

In 1898, Weezie Putnam returns to the States from a memorable trip to Vienna with three things: a manuscript, a ring and a journal. The manuscript lauds the genius of Mahler, and she publishes it pseudonymously under the name “Jonathan Trumpp.” The ring she sells for $5,000, an enormous sum, to provide seed money for future investments. And the journal—the most precious artifact of all—was written in the future and thus provides her with a window into major 20th-century events. One might also add that she returns with a new name, Eleanor, and thus with a new persona. Because of the information provided in the journal, she knows her destiny and starts ensuring it comes about. As predicted, Eleanor marries a prominent banker, Frank Burden and begins a series of investments that initially seem questionable, though her foreknowledge assures her of their inevitable exorbitant worth. She hires a man named T. Williams Honeycutt, because the journal has informed her that he will be important in the success of her business life, but he has a cousin with the same name, so it’s problematic whether she’s hired the right one. She takes her largest risk with a young Viennese intellectual named Arnauld Esterhazy, who becomes the father of her son and who seems to have died at the battle of Caporetto in 1917, but the journal has predicted a long life for him, one intricately interwoven with Eleanor’s. She’s so convinced of the journal’s truth that she makes a dangerous trek to postwar Europe to find him, and she succeeds. He’s shellshocked, and she takes him to Jung’s clinic in Zurich to recover. Throughout the novel, Edwards skillfully intertwines Eleanor’s predestined fate with her relationships to Freud, Jung, J. P. Morgan, William James and other historical figures.

A powerful, intense and fascinating read.

Selden Edwards began writing The Little Book as a young English teacher in 1974, and continued to layer and refine the manuscript until its completion in 2007 (read the full bio...)

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Recent Reviews

Now we have the sequel, "The Lost Prince," and readers who are hoping that Edwards will continue with his "big ideas" — destiny, history, the role of the individual, undying love — will not be disappointed.

Time travel back to the turn of the 20th century with Selden Edwards’ THE LOST PRINCE. With a cast of characters that includes Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and William James, it’s like Midnight in Paris for the neurotic set.

“This is a strange and unique love story. On the heels of Edwards' debut novel, "The Little Book" (which took the former English teacher 30 years to write), the author has crafted a daring follow-up. "The Lost Prince" is dense, in no hurry to answer plenty of early questions that it sets up. Indeed, many of these questions span the length of the book, as the reader wades through lengthy discussions and correspondence between the characters. Fortunately, the storytelling doesn't drag… Ultimately, the book is a meditation on love, faith, free will and one's purpose in life.

Press & Media

Garth Stein on The Lost Prince

“Brilliant. Selden Edwards is a writer of great intellect and wit, and his books are a joy to read. I love The Lost Prince. The Little Book made such an impression on me; The Lost Prince is even better.”

-Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

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Pat Conroy on The Lost Prince

“I loved Selden Edwards’s first novel The Little Book and told everyone I knew about it. I just read his second novel The Lost Prince and think that Mr. Edwards has written his finest work so far. Once again, Selden Edwards demonstrates his mastery in blending together philosophy and art with the help of wonderful characters you fall in love with. The Lost Prince is a terrific second novel.”-Pat Conroy